North American eSports teams form professional association

Seven North American eSports teams – Team Solomid, Cloud9, Team Liquid, Counter Logic Gaming, Immortals, NRG eSports and compLexity – have formed a professional league which will come into force next January, branded the Professional eSports Association (PEA).

The mission of the PEA, which will be headed by Former Riot Games manager Jason Katz, is to concentrate control in the hands of franchise owners and professional players in order to generate integrity-driven league action for the legions of eSports fans around the world.

The league will handle at last $1 million in prize money in its inaugural activity, which will commence with a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive season played over a ten-week period, with live matches broadcast and streamed twice weekly.

Franchise owners and professional players will share equally in revenues generated by the league, which will also be responsible for providing additional benefits to the player members such as financial advice and healthcare.

The league will have a rules and grievances facility to mediate any disputes involving members or the public in cases associated with its activities.

In related news a National Association of Collegiate eSports has launched in the United states with over 20 education-oriented entities as members and the goal of supporting the growth of eSports and of college students with ambitions in the vertical.

The NAC plans an inaugural eSports league event early-2017 and hopes to organise further events thereafter.